Arrived in Maine!

Today I arrived in Portland, ME ready for my solid week of teaching and meeting many talented young ladies! After, being under the weather this past week, I am feeling spry and ready to get that fresh, crisp Maine air.

I hope to share many memories & hopefully introduce some new information as well powerful techniques, mental toughness, and my everlasting passion for the sport. Since, I was 10 I've been playing this great game, and now I get to coach the way I've always wanted to. It is a blessing to be able to share my wealth of memories & help encourage these young ladies to keep at it! Hard work & dedication does pay off, and rebuking any negativity that passes by.

So here's a walk down memory lane...

Nothing will beat the clinic I went to with Lisa Fernandez as the host. This was right before the 1996 Olympics in Lake Elsinore, CA (where I lived till I was 13). Fernandez was & still is in my opinion one of the greatest pitchers to play the game, not because she's a 2-time Gold Medalist, but because of her fierce attitude on the mound & her grueling work ethic. She wasn't kidding when she signed my ball "Never be Satisfied," and to me that left a lasting impression. One I never forgot and had a tendency to mimic her workouts, pitching for 3 even 4 hours till I got a pitch. 

Today everyone is familiar with Jennie Finch, and don't get me wrong she is a stud, but how about the other remarkable women that earned their names mentioned such as Joan Joyce, Michelle Smith, Michelle Granger, Kathy Arednsen, Barbara Reinalda, Lori Harrigan, Danielle Hendersen, and it goes EVEN FURTHER back than that!!! Just check out the http://www.brakettes.com/hall/ and you can see some of the greatest pitchers & players to have ever graced the field. Ladies & Gentleman did you not know that there was a Men's Fast-pitch League either? I'll stop there before I blow your minds too much, but I will come back to this in another blog post.

Without knowing the history of our sport it's hard to really understand what road has been paved us to even be able to play this game. It has humbled me and given me a much greater respect for those that have played before us and left such a legacy. Without them we wouldn't be where we are today, and I am proud to say I'm glad to have been a part of that journey.

So I can only hope I will bring passion & education that will ignite a fire in the hearts of those that love this game!

Keep Calm & Pitch On,

        Katie Burkhart